Jaimy Lim

ELED 3221
Oct.26, 2016
Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Life cycle of a butterfly
_____________________________________________________________________________
Central Focus/Big Idea: The Lifecycle of a Butterfly
Subject of this lesson: Butterflies go through a unique life cycle. They progress through stages
in their life towards becoming an adult. However, unlike most life cycles, butterflies transform
from one physical form to another.
Grade Level: 2nd grade/ Science
NC Essential Standard(s):
2.L.1 Understand animal life cycles.
2.L.1.1 Summarize the life cycle of animals: Birth Developing into an adult Reproducing Aging
and death
Next Generation Science Standard(s):
3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all
have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
21st Century Skills:
Communication- Students are expected to explain the four stages of a butterfly life cycle.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving-Students are expected to draw and label all four stages of
the butterfly life cycle.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: Students are expected to explain all four stages of the butterfly life
cycle and interpret the correct sequence of the butterfly life cycle.
Analyze
Interpret

Argue
Predict

Categorize
Question

Compare/contrast
Retell

Describe
Summarize

Explain

Scientific Vocabulary: Life cycle, Pupa, Metamorphosis, Chrysalis

Instructional Objective: Students will be able to successfully identify the four stages of
a butterflys life cycle. Additionally, they will also be able to draw and label the stages of
a butterfly in a correct order and write 1-2 sentences to describe each stage on the
handout given in the elaborate phase of the lesson. There are a total of 9 points a student
can earn. Students are expected to earn 7 out of 9 to show mastery.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students should already know what a butterfly is and where they
could find butterflies.
Content Knowledge (teacher): The teacher should have already read the books and view the
video that she is going to show to the class as well as have a clear understanding about the life
cycle of a butterfly (many people believe that there are only 3 stages to a butterfly life cycle:
Caterpillar, pupa (or chrysalis), and butterfly. A life cycle starts from the beginning of life. There
are actually 4 steps: Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. We need the first step because
without the egg stage there is no way for the cycle to continue from a grown butterfly to a
caterpillar) to clarify students with any misconceptions on plants/plant life.
Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group): I would make sure that
students with physical disabilities are close to the front of the room so they can view the power
point slides and videos. I would provide them with precut life cycle cards and I would also
observe them more closely during the different activities to help them stay on task. For ELLS, I
would have the four stages labeled also in their native language on the PowerPoint slides That
way, every kind of learner will be able to retain this information.
Materials and Technology requirements:
-Smart board
-Computer and projector
-Power Point slides
-Life cycle of a Butterfly on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S8WzwLPlM
-The hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI
-Scissors (One per student)
- A life cycle of a butterfly handout (One per student)
- A life cycle of a butterfly cards (One set per student)
- Classroom markers and crayons (One set per table)
Total Estimated Time: 1 class period
Source of lesson: Picture Perfect Science Lesson, Expanded 2nd edition
Safety considerations: For safety reasons, discuss safety rules with students with handling
scissors (walking or running with scissors, cutting anything other than the paper and
pointing them at someone else.)

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5 Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. If you will be relying on technology (e.g., a YouTube
video), describe your back up plan thoroughly. Imagine your most novice colleague needing to
teach from your plan. Dont just answer the questions. Additionally, I expect you to include
possible questions you could ask for each section. This needs to include higher-order questions.
Engage: Good morning class! It is time for science. Guess what we are going to learn about
today in class! (Show a picture of a butterfly on smart board) Thats right! we are going to learn
about butterflies and their life cycles.
Have you guys seen butterflies before?
Where did you see them?
What color butterflies have you seen?
As many of you already know butterflies are insects that come in many shapes, sizes, and
colors.
Did you guys know that butterflies go through different stages or transformations in their life
cycle?
Butterflies are complicated little creature that go through a very unique life cycle.
Remember? Every living thing in the world goes through a life cycle, usually starting with birth
and ending with death. Butter flies go through a life cycle too! And they actually go through a
process called metamorphosis in which their physical shape changes!
Now we are going to watch a video that tells us more information about a life cycle of a butterfly
but before we watch the video, I want you guys to take a look at these questions here.
Show 3 essential questions to students on the smart board. (1. How many stages are in the life
cycle of a butterfly? 2. What does a butterfly begin its life as? 3. What is the word for the
changes that a butterfly goes through in tis life cycle?
Lets read them aloud together!
These are three questions that I want you to keep in your mind as you watch the video, we are
going to come back to talk about these questions together after we view the video so make sure
you pay a close attention to it.
Show them Life cycle of a butterfly on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S8WzwLPlM
Now that we have viewed this short video on life cycle of a butterfly, I want us to go back to the
questions that I introduced to you guys before. Lets read question number one aloud. I want you
to turn to your partner and discuss question number one.
(Allow time for them to share)

How many stages are in the life cycle of a butterfly? Please raise your hand to share what you
discussed with your partner.
(Have students share their ideas and say thumbs up if you agree with _____ to check to see if
everyone is following and is on the same page)
Thats right! there are 4 stages in a butterflys life cycle. They are egg, larva, pupa and butterfly.
We will learn about these stages in details in a few minutes.
Now Lets read question number two out loud, again, I want you to turn to your partner and
discuss question number two.
What does a butterfly begin its life as?
Thats right a butterfly begin its life as an egg just like us, we were tiny babies when we were
born!
Okay lets read the last question out loud, what is the word for the changes that a butterfly goes
through in tis life cycle?
The life cycle of a butterfly can also be called what? Thats right! its called metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis means really big change
All living things go through a life cycle, all living things are born grow and change and
reproduce by laying eggs or having babies and die. And the babies grow up to repeat the cycle.
Explore:
Begin with explaining that we are going to spend the next few minutes learning more about a life
cycle of a butterfly.
Give each student a handout.
I am going to come around and pass out a handout to each of you. It has 4 pictures that
represent each stage of a butterfly life cycle. You are going to cut them on the black lines so that
you can have four butterfly life cycle cards with the names and pictures of the four stages of
butterfly metamorphosis.
After you have cut your cards into 4 pieces. Go ahead and put the cards in the order in which
you think they go.
Put your hands on top of you head if you are done with sorting your cards in the order.
Now we are going to watch a read aloud video on the book called The hungry Caterpillar. Eric
Carle who actually wrote the book, the hungry caterpillar is going to read his book aloud to us.
I want you guys to pay attention as you listen to the book because we are going to actually
comeback to your cards and check if you guys put your cards in the correct order and do leave
your guys in front of you and make sure not to touch them when you watch the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI

Now that we have read The Hungry caterpillar, we are now going to check if you put yours
cards in the correct life cycle order. We are going to go over them as a class but before we do that
I am going to give you a chance to go back and move your cards in the correct order if you did
not put them in the correct order in the first place.
Go over the cards together as a class and ask questions
How many stages does the butterfly life cycle have?
What are the stages in the butterfly life cycle?
Lets say them aloud and make sure you put your cards in the right order!
What does a butterfly start as?
What is another name for a caterpillar?
Explanation:
Have power point slides ready to play. On each power point slides, there will be pictures of each
stage of butterfly life cycle to help students stay engaged.
Alright! We are now going to go over each stages of a butterfly life cycle!
Again, how many stages are there in a life cycle of a butterfly?
Thats right! there are four stages and What are they?
-eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly
The first stage is the eggs. This is where a girl butterfly lays eggs. She lays them on a leaf and he
eggs are really small and round. About five days after the eggs are laid. A tiny worm-like
creatures hatch from the egg.
What is this tiny worm like creature is called?
Thats right! they are called caterpillars and the second stage of a butterflys life cycle is the
caterpillar. A caterpillar is sometimes called Larva. At this stage, the caterpillar eats all the time.
What do you think the caterpillar is going to eat? Yes! It starts go eat leaves and flowers. This is
the eating and growing stage for the caterpillar.
A caterpillar grows really fast. This is because they eat a lot. A caterpillar is really small when it
is born. It starts to grow fast.
Caterpillars do not stay in this stage very long. While they are in this stage, all they do is what?
Yes, all they do it eat!
Stage three is the chrysalis. This is when the caterpillar is done growing. The caterpillar makes
a chrysalis and another name for a chrysalis is a pupa. It is mostly brown or green, it is the same
color as the things around it like trees, leaves or braches.
Why do you think their chrysalis or pupa is the same color as the things around it?

Yes, it is same color as the things around it so that other animals cannot see it. This keeps them
from getting hurt.
This is the resting stage ad changing stage. The caterpillar starts to change and turn into a
butterfly. It starts look different and its shape starts to change quickly. It then turns into What?
Yes, a butterfly! All this happens in the chrysalis. This does not take a long time.
Once the caterpillars have changes into a butterfly, the fourth stage starts and this is also the last
stage in the life cycle.
The fourth stage is the butterfly. A butterfly comes out of the chrysalis. It can now learn to fly. It
can also find a mate. When it finds a mate, it lays eggs. Then the lifecycle process starts all over
again.
Elaborate:
Now that we have learned about each stages of a butterfly life cycle. We are going to practice our
knowledge on a butterflys life cycle. I am going to come around to give you a handout. You are
going to work on this by yourself. On your handout, you are going to draw each stage of
butterfly life cycle in order, label each stage on top of the box and write 1-2 sentences to describe
each stage.
Walk around the room as students work on their handout, ask questions to check their
understanding.
Can anyone tell me what you have learned in today?
These are all correct! We have worked on identifying all four stages of a butterflys lifecycle and
also learned to draw and label the stages of a butterflys life cycle.
Class, as a homework, I would like for you to go home and share with one of your family
members about what you learned today in class about a life cycle of a butterfly. You can tell them
how many stages are in a life cycle of a butterfly or anything about what you learned in class
today about a life cycle of a butterfly!
Evaluate:
Formative Assessment: Check through observation and questions. The questions I asked
throughout the lesson and the observations I made while walking around the classroom during
the activities. (Butterfly life cycle cards in correct order and handout)
Summative Assessment: Review the concept and collect the student work done during Elaborate.
To meet the instructional objective, Students must correctly draw and label all four stages of a
butterfly life cycle in correct order and write 1-2 sentences to describe each stage.
Category
students earn

Does not meet

benchmark

Partially Meets
benchmark

Meets
benchmark

points for

1pt.

2pts.

3pts.

Stages- All parts

labeled on the
handout in the
correct order.
(Eggs,
Caterpillar,
Chrysalis and
butterfly)

Student shows no
understand of the
life cycle of
butterfly or
sequencing.

Student shows
understating of
life cycle of
butterfly but are
not sequenced
correctly.
-Identified 2-3
stages of the
butterfly life
cycle.
Described 2-3
stages of the life
cycle.
Contains 2-3
Stages

Student clearly
shows
understanding of
the sequencing of
the life cycle.

-Identified one
stage of the
butterfly life
cycle.
Described only 1
stage of the life
cycle.
Contains only 1
stage

-Identified all 4
stages

1-2 descriptive
Described all 4
sentences for all
stages of the life
stages
cycle.
DrawingsContains all 4
contains all
stages.
stages.
Total possible points: 9 points
Students should earn at least 7 points (at least 80%) to show mastery.

Student Assessment Outcome Data

90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

80%

12%

8%

80% of the students met benchmark they clearly showed understanding of the butterfly life cycle
by correctly drawing and labeling all 4 stages of the butterfly life cycle. They were also able to
describe each butterfly life cycle stage by writing 1-2 sentences.
12% of the students partially met benchmark. They showed understanding of life cycle of
butterfly but they did not label the all four stages of the butterfly life cycle correctly and only
wrote 2-3 sentences to describe the butterfly life cycle.
8% of the students did not meet bench mark, they only described 1 stage of the life cycle and
identified one stage of the butterfly life cycle.